Chapter 612 - Saving Her Cursed Lycan Prince

I was so angry. These maids needed to be taught a lesson. Their words would only hurt Beryl if she heard them.

Hearing my approach, the two maids turned around anxiously, but they soon calmed down when they saw it was only me. They exchanged tacit glances, pretending that nothing had happened.

“Say that again, I dare you!” I hissed.

The brown-haired maid stammered, “It… It’s the king’s family’s affair. It has nothing to do with you.” She had a pretty face, and she was the one who spoke harshly of Beryl. Judging from the color of her uniform, her rank among the maids was pretty low.

I couldn’t hold back my anger anymore. I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. “You’re only a maid. How dare you be so arrogant and even speak ill of a child? Know your place.”

“I… I’m not wrong! Beryl’s not the king’s daughter, and she does nothing but make trouble every day. It’s really annoying! But who are you? Why’re you so worked up?” The brown-haired maid cupped her swollen cheek and glared at me. Despite being a maid, she had no manners, unlike Maya.

I was so angry that I almost blurted out that I was Beryl’s mother, but I instinctively held back. Doing so would only spark more rumors.

At this moment, a guard’s voice sounded, announcing the king’s presence.

Shocked, I turned and found that Rufus was standing on the bridge five meters away. Seeing his gloomy face, I guessed that he must’ve witnessed what had happened just now.

The two maids were so scared that they fell to their knees and begged for mercy.

Rufus walked over slowly with an unfathomable look in his eyes. It felt as though a terrible storm was approaching. The atmosphere dropped several hundred degrees, and his attendants all lowered their heads in fear.

“What’re you doing here? Where’s Beryl?” I asked in a low voice.

Rufus cast me a sidelong glance and ignored my questions. He just asked his attendants to summon all the maids on duty in his palace.

Soon, more than 30 maids were lined up according to rank in the garden.

Then Rufus instructed the line of maids to slap the two maids’ mouths. The two maids kneeling on the ground shrank back, but they didn’t dare to say anything. One false move and they could be beaten to death.

The air rang with the sounds of slaps, one after another. The two maids’ cheeks were swollen and bruised, their mouths bleeding. But neither dared to scream in pain.

Rufus watched coldly, as though they were nothing but two struggling ants.

When the two maids were dragged away, they were already unconscious. It would take a long time for them to recover. Good. No matter who they were, they had to take responsibility for their words. Rufus didn’t have them executed, which was already lenient. Moreover, Rufus was helping Beryl build prestige now, making sure that no one would dare to look down upon Beryl ever again.

Looking at Rufus’ broad back, I felt mixed feelings.

Rufus used to protect me like this.

Now, even though he didn’t know that Beryl was his daughter, he still protected her without hesitation. I suppose it was true that blood ran thicker than water.

I had thought that Rufus would make a good father.

Now, he had proved me right.

Crystal’s POV

After everyone left, Rufus walked over and finally answered my question. “Beryl’s clothes got stained while she was eating. I asked the maid to take her back to her room and get changed.”

“Beryl, is she…” My voice trailed off. I wanted to ask if she was getting used to living in the palace, but judging from Rufus’ protective attitude towards her, I figured her life here must be very comfy “Don’t worry. The maids I assigned to look after Beryl were all carefully selected. They won’t do anything bad to her. Those maids just now are of the lowest rank. It’s my fault they aren’t disciplined and even talk nonsense here. It won’t happen again.” Rufus thought I was worried about the maids hurting Beryl, so he reassured me.

“I trust you, Your Majesty,” I said with a smile. Since Rufus decided to keep Beryl with him, I knew that he cared about her very much. Otherwise, he wouldn’t spoil her like this.

“I took Arron to see the queen mother today.” Afraid that Rufus would misunderstand my reason for being here, I took the initiative to explain.

“My mother really adores Arron. You should take him here more often.”

I nodded wordlessly, feeling a little bitter in my heart. It was a pity that I would be leaving after a few days…

“Shall we head back? Beryl should have changed her clothes by now,” Rufus suggested.

I quietly followed Rufus back inside.

On the way, I asked him in a seemingly casual manner. “You seem very tolerant of Beryl. I thought that after finding out she’s my daughter, you’d-“

I paused, not knowing how to say the rest without sounding offensive.

One eyebrow raised, Rufus turned to me and snorted, “I’d what? Eat her?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I couldn’t believe Rufus had just cracked a joke, which was a little cute. “No, not eat her! I just thought that you’re a lot more patient than I expected. You are not as cold and irritable as the rumors say. At least, you’re gentle with kids.”

No wonder those maids guessed that Beryl was his illegitimate daughter. In the eyes of outsiders, Rufus was indifferent even to Laura, but kind to Beryl.

Rufus fell silent for a while. “I don’t know why, but every time I see Beryl, I feel kind of happy. Maybe it’s because we get along well. It’s a strange feeling. It’s the first time a child ever called me ‘Dad’.”

I lowered my head and followed him silently. Feelings of depression and confusion surged up in my heart. What if Beryl just couldn’t regained her memory anytime soon? Although I had thought of forcibly taking Beryl away, it would definitely scare her. After all, as of now, she thought that Rufus was her only family.

“What’s on your mind?” Rufus suddenly asked.

“Nothing. I just don’t know what else to say,” I murmured in low spirits.

“Let me guess. You’re worried about Beryl’s injury. If she doesn’t regain her memory, it will be difficult for her to recall you, her mother. Then you may not be able to take Beryl back to the border pack.” After saying that, Rufus smiled meaningfully. There was a spark in his eyes, which was particularly bright and beautiful under the light of the setting sun.

I glared at him a little angrily. “Think you can keep her?”

Rufus snorted. “I can’t bear to see you bothering yourself like that. I’ll ask the doctor to make a plan to help Beryl regain her memory. As for your return to the pack, you shouldn’t worry about that. I haven’t agreed to let you leave.”

“Wait, what?”

What on earth was that supposed to mean? I couldn’t go back to my own pack without his permission? I looked at him in confusion, waiting for him to explain.

But Rufus simply turned around and kept walking.

“What do you mean?” I finally asked through gritted teeth. “I’m going back to my pack in few days.”

Rufus ignored me. As soon as he turned a corner, he bumped into a small figure rushing over at us.

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